36. While Jesus Was Alive, Did His Family and His Disciples Believe He is God?

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     If God had been born in a family wouldn’t that family know that he is God? The most qualified family in the world to know whether Jesus is God or not is Jesus’ family. They lived with him for about thirty years. His parents saw him being born. His brothers interacted with him. If they believed he was God they would have treated him as God. How does one treat God?

 They dared to “take charge of him” and say “he is out of his mind” because they knew who he was. They spent thirty years with him and interacted with him face to face. They knew him better than us, who live two thousand years later and read about him in books. They did not believe in him: “For neither did his brethren believe in him.” (John 7:3b KJV) This makes it clear that they did not believe he was God, their creator. Actually, they, like the Jewish leaders, did not accept him as the King-Messiah of Israel .
            What about Jesus’ disciples? Did they treat him like God? Again, how does one treat God?

 Had Peter believed that Jesus was God, he would not have dared to tell him that his prediction would not come to pass. Had Jesus’ disciples believed that he was God, they would not have deserted him: “Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.” (Matthew 26: 57 NIV) Peter swore that he was not a disciple of Jesus: “And ... another maid saw him {Peter}, and said to them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied with an oath ...” (Matthew 26:71-72 KJV) Apparently, Peter did not believe Jesus was God. The disciples were Jews, and according to their belief system, God does not die. When Jesus died, the disciples mourned his death because they believed that he was a man (men die).
    In the gospels, while Jesus was alive, none of his disciples called him “God” or “a god.” They called him Rabbi: “Nathanael answered and said to him, Rabbi {teacher} …” (John 1:49 KJV) They believed he was the Righteous teacher, the Messiah of Israel: “... he {Jesus} asked his disciples ... whom {do} you say that I am? And Peter answered and said to him, You are the Christ { Gr. ο Χριστός: the Anointed, that is, the King-Messiah of Israel}.” (Mark 8:27-29 KJV) They also called him “the Son of God”: “Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah {Gr. ο Χριστός, that is, the Messiah of Israel}, the Son of the living God.’ ” (Matthew 16:16 NRSV) “Son of God” was another title for the awaited Messiah, the “King of Israel”: “Nathanael answered and said to him, Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” (John 1:49 KJV) In Israel, in those days, the title “the Son of God” was the title of Israel’s awaited Messiah. It was a commonly held belief that the Messiah would be called Son of God and that he would be a mere human.
            Here are some clear differences between God and Jesus. In the Old Testament God repeatedly declared “I am God,” “I am your God,” or “I am … LORD … God,” whereas Jesus never did he claim that he is God. In the Old Testament God demanded credit for saving Israel. Jesus did not demand such credit. He said, “... He who believes in me, believes not in me but in him {God} who sent me.” (John 12:44 RSV) Jesus directed the credit to God, who sent him. The disciples believed in the one who sent Jesus: in God. Jesus only claimed to be the Messiah. He told His disciples that he was the “Christ”: “… One is your Leader, that is, Christ {Gr. ο Χριστός: the Messiah, the Anointed one}.” (Matthew 23:10 NASB)
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